Eggnog Ornament Cupcakes

Colorful foil baking cups complete these eggnog-flavored and eggnog cream-filled ornaments that are so beautiful you’ll wonder whether to serve them on a dessert table or hang them on your tree.

What you need:

Reynolds® Baking Cups (Red Foil)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum extract for cake
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup vanilla pudding
½ teaspoon rum extract for filling
Pastry bag & Injection tip
White fondant
Silver metallic luster dust
Cookie cutters: Poinsettia-shaped and round (optional)
Small paintbrush
Red fondant
Red decorating crystals
Silver dragees

Instructions:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put baking cups in muffin pans; set aside.

MAKE CAKE

1. Beat sugar and butter together until combined. 
2. Add eggs and beat until blended.
3. Combine wet ingredients in one bowl: eggnog, vanilla, and rum extract. 
4. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, & nutmeg.
5. Alternate adding dry & wet ingredients into blended butter sugar and eggs until well combined.
6. Scoop batter into baking cups. Use an ice cream scoop or pipe from a zipper freezer bag in order to fill evenly.  Be sure not to overfill the cups.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.  Let cool completely.

PREPARE AND INJECT FILLING INTO CUPCAKES

1. Mix rum extract into vanilla pudding. 
2. Fill pastry bag with injection tip and pudding mixture.
3. Inject filling into center of each cupcake.

MAKE ornaments and hooks

1. Roll out white fondant for the flat ornament surfaces and the hooks. 
2. Make smooth ornament surfaces: Cut 2 1/2“ circles using a cookie cutter or knife and place on top of cupcakes. 
3. Make hooks:  Cut 1” circles using a cookie cutter or knife.  Form the ornament bases by shaping the circles around the handle of a wooden spoon. 
4. Make the loops and hooks with small pieces of fondant rolled into 1-2” strings, shaped by hand.
5. Use a paintbrush to paint the base, loop and hook with metallic luster dust (follow package directions). 
6. Attach loop to base and base to cupcake with a small amount of water.  Gently place hook inside the loop and rest on top of cupcake.
7. Make decorations: Roll out red fondant and cut poinsettias using a cookie cutter. 
8. Brush lightly with water and sprinkle with red decorating crystals. 
9. Press a silver dragee into center. 
10. Brush bottom of poinsettia lightly with water to attach to cupcake.